We in the conservative movement are still licking our wounds from the last election. As we do some soul-searching, it should be easy to answer one question: Do we side with those who think no tax is high enough, or are we on the side of America’s entrepreneurs, professionals, farmers, ranchers and small business owners?
We have always been on the side of America’s hard-working optimists — the ones who think we are headed for something better. The people who dig deep, invest for the future, and make good things happen.
So why, for so long, have we let ourselves be on the side that opposes immigration reform?
We know that the system is broken. Our immigration system takes freshly minted business students, scientists, and engineers and kicks them out of the country, telling them to come back in five years (or more) — their only offense being they were born in another country. Many of them come here prepared to start businesses and professional careers, and they study in American colleges. Sending them back to their home countries sends their skills along with them.
Business leaders understand this. Recent surveys show that the vast majority of business leaders agree that our immigration system makes it too hard for people to come here and stay legally. And, most in the business community agree that we need immigrants to help ensure our country’s economic success.
If we have smart, skilled, U.S.-trained people knocking on the door, wanting to work here and expand our economy, we can’t afford to slam the door in their faces. Increasing taxes and Washington’s inability to rein in spending makes it tough enough for business owners. We can’t make matters worse by chasing out people who willingly want to pay American taxes and build America’s private sector.
We need high fences and wide gates in our immigration system. Today’s system is the opposite: Too hard for people who take the right path, and too porous for the ones who cheat. Fixing the system isn’t just smart, it’s necessary.
It’s a winning issue for conservatives. Nobody becomes an entrepreneur and then demands higher taxes and tougher regulations. People don’t become partners in small businesses just hoping to see big government quash their dreams with tax hikes and reckless spending. The optimists are our natural conservative constituency. We want those people here, today, in America — not going home to other economies that are competing with us in the global marketplace.
Immigrants are people who take risks. They risk coming to a new country, having to learn a new language, make new friends and find new opportunities for their families. Taking risks is inherent in the American spirit. For generations, immigrants have come to the U.S. in search of the American Dream. It is through this adventurous spirit and belief in a better tomorrow that has made America the great melting pot of entrepreneurs and risk-takers that it is today.
Being an American isn’t about the color of your skin or where you were born. It’s about the principles you hold close to your heart: opportunity, freedom, innovation, and a better tomorrow.
We need secure borders and better systems for employment verification. We also need more opportunities for skilled immigrants to come here, streamlined programs for seasonal workers, and a path to legal status for the people who are already here, no matter how they came. These common-sense fixes for America’s broken immigration system aren’t just good for the conservative movement, they’re good for the country.
Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, was elected in 2012 to represent legislative district 25 in the Arizona Senate. Worsley’s entrepreneureal accomplishments include being the founder of SkyMall.
DESERTHAWK posted at 9:48 am on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
Senator Worsley's comments are pretty much a "broad" representation of the real problems facing America and everyday americans re immigration, both illegal and legal.
First, to continue the old argument that our immigration laws are broken is disingenuous to say the very leaset. The 1986 IRCA Laws gave democrats everything they ever wanted. Amnesty was granted to 3 million law breakers but the sanctions in that Bill were never enforced. Now, after 27 years of absolute madness, the corrupt politicians, at every level of government, and their newly arrived partisans declare the 1986 law a failure and what are they doing? They are meeting in SECRET - holding the american tax payer hostage once again in order to give amnesty and citizenship to some 11 million illegal's (actually around 35 to 40 million) - and, they refuse to divulge their plans until after Easter so that they won't have to talk about it when they adjourn for the holiday. Indeed, there are two groups of the "Gang of 8" - one in each Chamber of the Congress.
Senator Worsley makes an invaluable point. Where Immigration Reform would help doesn't have to be contrained by reinventing the laws that were never enforced. It requires a simple action to allow for changes that would keep well trained foreign nationals in the USA. Likewise, their presence would serve as mentoring and training opportunities for more american students, thus increasing the growth of more native born - high tech career minded individuals. The current inaction on the part of the Congress is reprehensible. The "brain drain" that now exists is not to our advantage. But, when all is said and done, the first priority that we have is not to open the borders and sell our citizenship to the lowest bidder, but rather, to ensure that in our pursuit of economic growth, prosperity and individual opportunity - the Constitution and the Rule of Law are preserved for the generations yet to come. Money cannot and will not ensure our freedom or our liberty.
chatmandu002 posted at 11:19 am on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
Our immigration system is not broken, it's just not enforced. Enforce all the laws all the time. Train and hire legal American workers to do the jobs. Senator Worsley is touting the Chamber of Commerce line of wanting more legal student/worker immigrants because they will work for less. How many students from lower economic countries wouldn't want an education and a job that pays less than what citizen born workers could live on? Businesses just want cheap labor and we end up paying for it by supporting the citizen/worker that can't get a job lost to a foreign student/worker.
bungknock posted at 1:25 pm on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
When you get down to it, immigration is all about employment. A proper immigrant seems to spend a lot of time proving they can find a job. For the American business culture, this is often an opportunity to fill jobs cheaply.
Unemployment is like huge, but some companies still hire H1B visa immigrants. It's like the business world saying: "Gee momma, I can't afford to hire someone, hurry up and git me a cheap immigrant". The labor pool always has an abundance of qualified, or closely qualified individuals. Forever abundant are the tightwad business types who don't want to invest in their greatest asset, which is their work force.
The business culture has always been for downsizing labor costs. If businessmen think employees of a certain class are getting too rich, you suddenly find congress making exceptions in immigration like the H1B visa. Now congress is going to make exceptions in immigration again.
Help the immigrants but not Americans?
Accuracy posted at 1:34 pm on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
America’s immigration system is NOT a “broken” immigration system, because it is the naturalization for legal immigrants. A guaranteed path to citizenship; the acquisition of citizenship for those who lawfully want to become citizens of the United States under the constitution and the immigration law.
Illegal immigration, by those who are not U.S. citizens, is criminal migration into this state in violation of the immigration laws of the United States. Entering the United States without documentation and permission is illegal and is punishable according to existing federal immigration laws.
forumsforjustice posted at 2:02 pm on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
we, the people, stand solidly against amnesty, protected legal status, or whatever else they choose to call it ... this isn't about party, this isn't about votes, and above all this isn't about race, nationality, ethnicity, color, or religion ... this is about protecting America, our sovereign nation, against an invasion by 10's of millions of illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants broke our laws when they crossed our border; or overstayed their visas. Then came document fraud, identity theft, and illegal employment. We are a nation of laws; we, the people, do not reward those who wantonly break our laws. We, the people, want our laws against illegal immigration enforced ... nothing more, nothing less ... it's as simple as that ... it really is
LoydEskildson posted at 3:41 pm on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
Come on - we already have 12 million low-skilled illegals here stealing jobs from Americans and producing high-dropout rate progeny. We need to start by getting rid of all of them.
Brittanicus posted at 3:47 pm on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
Much of the anxiety and frustration could be alleviated from the American people, if the politicians, who are supposed to protect us, ignored the financial pressure from the Special Interest entities and introduced the mandatory Picture ID complete with biometric information. They say it’s too expensive, which is utter “BS” when we spend hundreds of billions of dollars on multiple social programs, which are crammed tight with fraud and abuse. Our Social Security number is an antiquated identification document, never meant for personal identification. A BIOMETRIC DOCUMENT WITH A PERSONS THUMB PRINT, EYE SCAN could relief much of the fraud in our sovereign nation today?
A good example would be the voting confusion, because unknown numbers of non citizens are voting and the great state of Arizona has seen through these circumstances and ready to fight for their rights. Citizen voters and our system of elections, must not to be compromised by any non citizens cheating and committing perjury. ID theft has become an epidemic in the United States, and was involved with the 9/11 killers who had stolen ID and a new type of documentation essential for every American to deem it important. Only people with a shady past, illegal aliens and other profit minded people see a federal ID card as an encumbrance to their plans. It makes no sense to say a nationwide biometric laminated card is too expensive at $2.billion dollars, when the states are being drained of $113 billion dollars plus a year for illegal alien families, that is not counting federal cash.
An ID card would ensure no illegal alien would get a job, or welfare, or any other benefits with a stolen SSN or driver’s license. An official ID card is almost a 100 percent faultless recognition, cross checked with a mandated data base that could be used for all manner of proof of who you are? Why the goons in Washington are dismissing such a simple enforcement tool is beyond my understanding, but then why is it not a Felony to enter America without inspection? Does this gang of eight have investments in companies that supposedly secure our credit cards or run these anti theft businesses that guard our personal information? The ID heist is not going away and don’t think your invulnerable to this theft, which incidentally caught me by surprise. I only got ripped off for $3600 dollars, so I thank my lucky stars. This Arizona court case and all other states caught up in this situation, deciding its imperative for people to show proof of citizenship before voting are in a fighting mood, led by Jan Brewer the governor. Should the Supreme Court rule against this, than every American citizen should demand from their Congressional representative the implementation of a biometric card for every American?
AFTER THE REAL “R-E-A-L” FENCE IS BUILT, ACCORDING TO THE DESIGN AND LENGTH OF THE 2006 SECURE FENCE ACT (H.R.6061), AFTER MANDATORY E-VERIFY (H.R. 478) ALONG WITH THE IMAGE PROGRAM IS FULLY ENFORCED, ALONG WITH A REVISED BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP LAW (H.R. 140) AND THE PROVISION OF THE SAVE ACT (H.R.830) IS VOTED INTO LAW. WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF BIOMETRIC ID CARD, THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT GIVING ILLEGAL ALIENS LEGITIMACY FOR BEING IN AMERICA WITHOUT PERMISSION.
AMERICANS MUST FEEL SAFE FROM A FURTHER ILLEGAL ALIEN INVASION, ATTRACTED BY CRIMINAL BUSINESS OWNERS. START BY MANDATORY PRISON SENTENCES FOR THE CEO, EXECUTIVES, MANAGERS WHO HIRE ILLEGAL ALIENS AND THROW THEM IN PRISON, SO THE 23 MILLION JOBLESS CITIZENS/LEGAL RESIDENTS BELIEVE THERE IS JUSTICE FOR THEM?
Americans, legal resident of all nationalities whether black, Anglo, Asian, Hispanic, Latino or from any origin, Liberals, Democrats, Republicans every minority party, must become conscious that another Path to Citizenship will sink us. As Congressman Smith has stated, we must comprehend the consequences of another Amnesty, by any other name? It might seem quite harmless now, but the future of all those people, their extended family members will need pensions and retirement benefit. Even as today government is worried about paying for Medicaid, Medicare, health care and welfare now and adding millions more, and their progeny in the future is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Don’t listen to the rhetoric or propaganda from the Liberals or the open border advocates, but sign the No Amnesty petition at NumbersUSA,
If you really want your cry of dissatisfaction counted write a note to your congressman (a aid will read it and reckon up the letters 'for' and against) so you don't have to hassle about being persuasive since all Your Representative hears about the amount of correspondence). Phone calls are always better and we should jam the phone system, but here you need to be coherent and not explode with an awkward outburst at the central Washington circuit phone 202) 224-3121. LEARN THE REALITY OF OUR BORDER AND INVESTIGATE THE CONCEALED NEWS AND REPORTS AT AMERICANPATROL. Plaster your Senator or Congressional House with a post card, demanding they stop the current path of overpopulation and Balkanization. Bombard Facebook and Twitter with information, as the other side do. Contact your local press and TV station, because the end is near for commonsense and also another hit on the hurting taxpayer.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 6:29 pm on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
Folks,
This is the very same Bob Worsley who was put up for election by the supporters of the "Mormon Compact" to defeat the ......"Father" of SB 1070, Arizona's anti-Illiegal Alien Immigration Law which was approved by 65% of all Arizona Voters....Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
The supporters of the ..."Mormon Compact"....want to legalize...Illegal Aliens from Mexico and Points South to get......Welfare, Social Service, Food Stamps, and worst of all............ARIZONA DRIVER'S LICENSES.
Yes, Folks, the supporters of the "Mormon Compact" want to give these..."Illegal Alien".....CRIMINALS....who sneaked across the US Border in the dead of night out in the desert with 40lb back-packs full of....MARIJUANA, HEROIN, METH, OPIUM and .....COCAINE........an...........ARIZONA DRIVER'S LICENSE ....and all the other benefits that ...."SHOULD.....THAT SHOULD"....BE GIVEN ONLY TO .......LEGAL AMERICAN CITIZENS.
SHAME ON YOU SENATOR WORSLEY.......SHAME ON YOU.
Accuracy posted at 7:29 pm on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
Leon Ceniceros,
The "Mormon Compact" or the “Utah Compact?”
In 2010 a group of pro-amnesty people, called East Valley supporters for “American Values,” did ask the Mesa City Council to endorse the Utah Compact. Back when the Pro-Utah Compact became is a blueprint for amnesty.
But what is the "Mormon Compact" you are writing about?
samkat posted at 7:53 pm on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
Since the Utah Pact was endorsed by the Mormon Church, they essentially one and the same.
samkat posted at 8:01 pm on Mon, Mar 18, 2013.
PS: This message was from a guy who made his millions paying minimum wage. I suppose that if he could he would have hired illegals and then again, maybe he did.
Masterrogue666 posted at 9:34 am on Wed, Mar 20, 2013.
I agree that the current system needs a MAJOR overhaul. However, I DO NOT CONDONE CRIMINAL ACTIONS taken by current ILLEGAL ALIENS. No amnesty until the system's revamped, and our borders are MORE SECURE (the POTUS should see the warning signs due south of Phoenix, et al) than it is now.
We have the right to pick an choose. A CRIMINAL should never be rewarded for their actions....
bobunf posted at 10:36 am on Wed, Mar 20, 2013.
The elephant in the room that prior posters have ignored is that the economic incentives that drive immigration conflict with the laws designed to regulate it. Fighting economic forces in a market economy like the United States is an impossible task.
You can't shovel the ocean back with a fork, or even a bulldozer.
If the market is creating demand there is an economic benefit when that demand is fulfilled: we are all better off. One must not believe in the free-enterprise/market-economy system to think otherwise.
The overwhelming impact of immigrants, legal and illegal, has been, and is, to strengthen and enrich American culture, increase the total output of the economy, and raise the standard of living of American citizens.
Immigrants are advantageous to the United States because:
(1) They are willing to take a chance in a new land, they are self-selected on the basis of motivation, risk taking, work ethic, and other attributes beneficial to a nation.
(2) They tend to come to the United States during their prime working years (the average age is 28), and they contribute to the workforce and make huge net contributions to old-age entitlement programs, primarily Social Security.
(3) Immigrants tend to fill niches in the labor market where demand is highest relative to supply, complementing rather than directly competing with American workers.
(4) Many immigrants arrive with extremely high skill levels, and virtually all, regardless of skill level, bring a strong desire to work.
(5) Their children tend to reach high levels of achievement in American schools and in society at large.
These rabid, anti immigrant conversations are intellectually dishonest and a smoke screen for the fear that leads to racism and xenophobia.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 6:51 pm on Wed, Mar 20, 2013.
Dear "bob-uninformed",
Here are the facts;
1.These Illegal Aliens "criminals as per the US Code of Law" crossed the US Border in the dead of night in the middle of the desert with 40lb backpacks filled with marijuana or heroin or cocaine or meth or opium.
2. The "VAST MAJORITY" of Illegal Aliens workers do not pay "ONE RED CENT" to old-age entitlement programs because they are paid ..."UNDER-THE-TABLE"....in C.A.S.H.
3. Up to last year, every fast-food franchise, every gardening company, every pool cleaner company, every janitorial company, every construction company and hotel/motel cleaning service hired huge numbers of "UNDER-THE-TABLE" , cash-paid..........ILLEGAL ALIEN WORKERS.
4. Oh come on now....MOST ILLEGAL ALIENS DON'T EVEN HAVE A MEXICAN HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.
5. Another "PANTS-ON-FIRE" FALSEHOOD = MOST ANCHOR BABIES AND ILLEGAL ALIEN STUDENT IS AT THE BOTTOM OF HIS/HER SCHOOL'S STUDENT RANKING ACADEMICALY.,